Abstract
Ever since the first mosasaur restorations were published, these extinct marine reptiles have been pictured with either notched, forked or undivided tongues. Here, we present an overview of existing iconography, a review of the previous literature, and we discuss how best to reconstruct tongue form in mosasaurs. Despite disagreement about their precise phylogenetic position, most authors consider mosasaurs members of the Varanoidea, derived anguimorphans including Helodermatidae, Varanidae, Lanthanotus and probably snakes. All anguimorphans share a diploglossan (two-part) tongue, in which the foretongue is derived and modified into a highly protrusible chemosensor, while the hindtongue is plesiomorphic, retaining well-developed papillae, mucocytes and robust posterior lobes. We suggest that mosasaurs had a diploglossan tongue that remained in a relatively underived state. The form of the tongue would probably have been most like modern Heloderma or Lanthanotus with a protrusible chemosensory foretongue and a plesiomorphic, papillose hindtongue. Such a tongue is consistent with well-developed vomeronasal chemoreception through tongue-flicking, with the retention of the ancestral function of hyolingual food transport and swallowing following jaw-prehension of prey. The presence of paired fenestrae in the palate associated with the vomers, as well as the presence of pterygoid teeth are in accordance with such a tongue form in mosasaurs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 359-371 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie en Mijnbouw |
| Volume | 84 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sep 2005 |
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Keywords
- Feeding
- Mosasaurs
- Olfaction
- Restoration
- Tongue
- Vomeronasal organ
Cite this
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Did mosasaurs have forked tongues? / Schulp, Anne S.; Mulder, E. W. A.; Schwenk, K.
In: Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie en Mijnbouw, Vol. 84, No. 3, 09.2005, p. 359-371.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Did mosasaurs have forked tongues?
AU - Schulp, Anne S.
AU - Mulder, E. W. A.
AU - Schwenk, K.
PY - 2005/9
Y1 - 2005/9
N2 - Ever since the first mosasaur restorations were published, these extinct marine reptiles have been pictured with either notched, forked or undivided tongues. Here, we present an overview of existing iconography, a review of the previous literature, and we discuss how best to reconstruct tongue form in mosasaurs. Despite disagreement about their precise phylogenetic position, most authors consider mosasaurs members of the Varanoidea, derived anguimorphans including Helodermatidae, Varanidae, Lanthanotus and probably snakes. All anguimorphans share a diploglossan (two-part) tongue, in which the foretongue is derived and modified into a highly protrusible chemosensor, while the hindtongue is plesiomorphic, retaining well-developed papillae, mucocytes and robust posterior lobes. We suggest that mosasaurs had a diploglossan tongue that remained in a relatively underived state. The form of the tongue would probably have been most like modern Heloderma or Lanthanotus with a protrusible chemosensory foretongue and a plesiomorphic, papillose hindtongue. Such a tongue is consistent with well-developed vomeronasal chemoreception through tongue-flicking, with the retention of the ancestral function of hyolingual food transport and swallowing following jaw-prehension of prey. The presence of paired fenestrae in the palate associated with the vomers, as well as the presence of pterygoid teeth are in accordance with such a tongue form in mosasaurs.
AB - Ever since the first mosasaur restorations were published, these extinct marine reptiles have been pictured with either notched, forked or undivided tongues. Here, we present an overview of existing iconography, a review of the previous literature, and we discuss how best to reconstruct tongue form in mosasaurs. Despite disagreement about their precise phylogenetic position, most authors consider mosasaurs members of the Varanoidea, derived anguimorphans including Helodermatidae, Varanidae, Lanthanotus and probably snakes. All anguimorphans share a diploglossan (two-part) tongue, in which the foretongue is derived and modified into a highly protrusible chemosensor, while the hindtongue is plesiomorphic, retaining well-developed papillae, mucocytes and robust posterior lobes. We suggest that mosasaurs had a diploglossan tongue that remained in a relatively underived state. The form of the tongue would probably have been most like modern Heloderma or Lanthanotus with a protrusible chemosensory foretongue and a plesiomorphic, papillose hindtongue. Such a tongue is consistent with well-developed vomeronasal chemoreception through tongue-flicking, with the retention of the ancestral function of hyolingual food transport and swallowing following jaw-prehension of prey. The presence of paired fenestrae in the palate associated with the vomers, as well as the presence of pterygoid teeth are in accordance with such a tongue form in mosasaurs.
KW - Feeding
KW - Mosasaurs
KW - Olfaction
KW - Restoration
KW - Tongue
KW - Vomeronasal organ
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=27644518416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=27644518416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0016774600021144
DO - 10.1017/S0016774600021144
M3 - Review article
VL - 84
SP - 359
EP - 371
JO - Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie en Mijnbouw
JF - Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie en Mijnbouw
SN - 0016-7746
IS - 3
ER -